Reina, Pauline, and Mavis, who was included as a bonus, were making steady progress in their power leveling.
Despite the fact that Mile did not teach them the basics and instead used a method where they could only form an image and naturally generate thoughts when performing that particular magic, Reina and Pauline continued to improve their skills.
They intended to keep their significant progress a secret, maintaining the appearance of only "improving" in the training at the academy... or so they thought. However, it was uncertain whether they could fool the instructors here, especially the other students.
Mavis, on the other hand, could not hide her training as it involved sword techniques, so she practiced with full effort. Since Mavis was an ordinary human, the results of her special training were legitimate, and she could perform with confidence. Due to the extremely fast training partner, her eyes gradually adapted, and her movements became much faster, but she was still within the realm of a "very talented and diligent student."
Even Elbert was surprised by her progress, particularly the improvement in her reaction speed, but since it had nothing to do with Mile, it was not a concern.
Elbert, regardless of Mile's worries, did not particularly interact with him after the first day of training.
Each student had their own circumstances, and forcing sword technique training on Mile would not yield good results. Moreover, it was not appropriate for instructors to arbitrarily force a future career choice on students, which was perhaps to be expected.
Additionally, Mile's strength in sword combat came from speed and power, not from sword technique, which lacked the elements of sword flow, foresight, and handling. Teaching such a student would not be very rewarding for a sword technique instructor, as it would lack the satisfaction of teaching.
Furthermore, Mile's talent in magic was quite high, and it made sense for him to focus on that. If he were to interfere, the two magic instructors, who were concerned about the potential waste of a talented student, would likely file a strong complaint, which was easy to imagine.
Even as the principal and head instructor, he was ultimately an employee, and it would be troublesome if he were reported to his employers.
"Spit it out, Mile."
One day, as usual, Mile was questioned by Reina in his room.
"Huh, what for?"
"Don't play dumb! I know you're doing something with the boys after dinner every night!"
"Ugh......"
Mile hesitated, as he had a clear idea of what she was talking about.
"Could it be that you're dating or making some strange promises...?"
"No, no! It's just a substitute... Ah, no..."
"What's that? Spit it out quickly!"
...And he was forced to confess.
"What is that! You're using them as a shield to avoid drawing attention to yourself?
I'm disappointed..." Reina was genuinely disappointed.
(Probably, that boy is... to Mile...)
Mavis and Pauline, on the other hand, were praying for the boy's soul.
"Well, if you're worried about being exposed back home, I can understand that. We're learning a lot from you, so it's not fair for us to complain.
Just don't overdo it, okay?"
"Sure..."
The orphan boy Byle, under Mile's guidance, made significant progress in his magical abilities.
Mile, noticing that Byle had limited magical power and was not adept at complex continuous incantations, decided to teach him two simple single-step spells.
One was the air bullet.
This was designed to allow Byle, with his limited magical power, to hunt small animals independently.
It avoided complex processes like creating and freezing water, and the hassle of creating or summoning stones to shoot, making it a simple single-step hunting spell using readily available materials.
It simply compressed air and struck with it, a simple but effective method for killing or stunning small animals and even bringing down birds.
In combat, it could disrupt an opponent's stance or knock them back, providing a significant advantage even if not a decisive blow. The short and simple incantation made it easy to use.
In this world, wind spells were commonly used, but without knowledge of pressure gradients, thermal expansion, rising air currents, or the Coriolis effect, their power was limited, and the concept of "compressing air and firing it" had not been developed, making it quite useful.
The other was the magic blade, a lethal technique for large prey and combat.
Due to the issue of magical power and the need for secrecy, it was not used continuously but only when a strike was about to be delivered, coating the sword with magical power.
This increased the sword's strength and formed a thin, sharp edge, creating a sword that was strong, hard, and sharp, a dream come true for swordsmen. A cheap, inferior sword could be transformed into a divine weapon!
Both spells were single-step, making them easy to use as they required focusing on a single phenomenon. The short manifestation time also reduced the mental fatigue caused by the release of thought waves, and the short incantation made it possible to use them during sword combat.
The combination of sword and magic, and a sword imbued with magic, was truly the essence of a "magical swordsman."
Mile repeatedly emphasized that these techniques should never be taught to anyone else and threatened that if they were, Byle and all those who learned from him would be eliminated by the organization.
He did not specify which organization, as he found it too troublesome to come up with a setting.
While he wanted to keep his inventions secret to avoid causing significant changes or harm, he did not mind if they spread as long as his name was not associated with them, especially healing magic and non-lethal air bullets.
There was no divine prohibition against influencing the world, and the gods seemed to have abandoned management of this place, so there was no issue.
Byle, after learning from Mile verbally at night, tested the spells during the next rest day's hunt and reported the results the following week, repeating this process and continuing to grow, though not as much as Mile's party members.
After Reina and the others found out that Byle was being taught, Mavis began training with him within the school, and Mavis was delighted to have a new companion and the opportunity to engage in mock battles with someone other than Mile, which reduced her sulking and helped Mile and the others.
"By the way, I just noticed. Byle's name is similar to Mile's, isn't it? Is there any connection?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah... No, it's just a coincidence. Three-letter names are all similar, right? If someone asked if you, Reina, had any connection with Nina, you'd just be confused, wouldn't you?"
"Well, yeah..."
Reina's unexpected question caught Mile off guard, but it was just a coincidence, and there was no real connection.
(Ah, at some point, I could use the setting that 'he's actually my long-lost brother' and use him as a substitute... No, no, no, no, I can't think about that! )
Mile shook his head to clear his thoughts.
Mile's daily routine of training and lectures on weekdays, earning money and practicing magic on rest days, and sword training with Mavis and Byle in between continued.
As a student, Mile deepened his relationships not only with his three roommates but also with other classmates, enjoying a fulfilling "student life" despite the unconventional setting.
For the other students, the rigorous training that determined their future was a challenging experience, but for Mile, it was an enjoyable student life. The days passed quickly, and graduation was approaching.
"...Field trip?"
"Practical training! What's with that 'shūgakuryokō'?"
"Oh, camping!"
"Where did you get that word from!"
One day, as graduation approached, the announcement of practical training was made.
It was not to fight orcs. Since some students had no hunting experience, they would be made to fight human-like goblins and orcs to gain the experience of "killing human-like beings." Without this, the survival rate of new parties without senior hunters would be lower in their first battle.
Of course, it also served to teach them how to camp.
A few days later, the students of the training school were in a forest half a day's journey from the capital for practical training.
The training was conducted by each party, but the girls' parties had an imbalanced mix of professions, so the parties were reorganized.
The reorganization was left entirely to the students, as it was also a practical experience for large-scale hunts where many parties participated.
While completely reorganizing the parties would waste the coordination built up so far, the boys agreed to distribute the girls among the boys' parties.
The boys then eagerly recruited girls.
"Mi-Mile, come to our party!"
"No, come to mine!"
"No, no, you should come to ours! We'll take care of all four of you!"
"Shut up! I can handle the front line, so we don't need boys!"
"But, Mile is technically a mage, and four girls is a small number."
After some thought, Reina called out to a boy in the back.
"Byle! Come to our party! If you go to your current party, we can send someone from Class B to balance the swordsmen. Is that okay, Class B?"
"Sure, sure!"
The four girls in Class B, who had been slightly annoyed by the boys' attention to Class C and Mile's party, immediately agreed, as they would have a good boy in Class B and the other girls would be distributed to Classes 4 and 6.
"Alright, Byle, go ahead!"
The boys in Class 5, who had little chance with Mile, wisely chose the four girls instead.
"Then, we'll split into two groups and go to Classes 4 and 6!"
"Huh...?"
The boys in Classes 1, 2, and 3, who were left with five members, were frozen by the words of the girls in Class A.
Class 1: 5 boys
Class 2: 5 boys
Class 3: 5 boys
Class 4: 4 boys, 2 girls
Class 5: 3 boys, 4 girls
Class 6: 4 boys, 3 girls
Class C: 1 boy, 4 girls
"Why did it end up like this!!"
The boys in Classes 1, 2, and 3 cried out in despair.
While they got what they deserved, Byle would be glared at by half of the male students until graduation.
"What, there are seven classes now? I thought the girls would be distributed among the boys' classes, so I only hired two supporting hunters..."
Elbert, looking troubled, explained that with four instructors and two hunters, there was one less chaperone.
"...Well, it's fine. Mavis, your party can go without a chaperone, right?"
"Y-Yes..."
Although the other students called them "Class C" or "Reina's group," the instructors recognized Mavis as the leader.
"No problem."
"Leave it to us!"
Reina and Mile, who would benefit from this, happily agreed.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you."
In the forest, away from the base camp.
"From today, you are allowed to use the magic I taught you in front of others. Graduation is near, and these are the spells you will use as hunters, so it's time to start showing them.
Start using them gradually in front of everyone, as you'll need to use them in the graduation exam.
However! You must never reveal how to use them or that you learned them from me!
Pretend that you have mastered these secrets through your own training and keep them as closely guarded techniques. Understand?"
The four nodded solemnly at Mile's unusually serious expression.
Zashu!
Bishu!
"Next, it's my turn! My turn!!"
"You guys..."
Byle, who was taken aback by Reina and Pauline's enthusiastic goblin hunting.
Reina was understandable, though he did not particularly want to understand.
But Pauline was known among the students as a timid and gentle support and healing mage. In a group of strong and rough girls, she and Mile were valuable healers. Or so it was supposed to be.
"Grains, dance, boiling hot water, ugh! Dieeee!"
Mile, leaning against a fallen log with his hands on it, and Mavis, whose soul seemed to be leaving her body.
When Mavis and the others returned to the base camp, the other parties had already returned and were preparing dinner. Of course, they had to cook what they had hunted or gathered themselves, and sharing from other parties was forbidden. Those who could not hunt would go hungry. This was a hunter's common sense.
The students, inexperienced in cooking, struggled.
"Yoi-sho!"
While the other parties were preparing a modest meal with horn rabbits and gathered fruits, Mile took out an orc from his storage.
Sapapapa!
Mavis sliced the meat with incredible speed.
Gou!
Reina used fire magic to cook the meat to a golden brown.
"Soup is ready!"
Pauline, who had heated water and herbs with magic, added orc meat and greens to four cups and called out.
"Hey, my share..."
"Ah, sorry, it's just a habit..."
Byle, sounding embarrassed, and Pauline, who quickly added another cup.
"Ugh!"
Bubbling...
Elbert, watching this with a blank expression, muttered.
"...You guys are so convenient..."
Mile's enjoyable school life was finally coming to an end.